Love in an Elevator
by uwprincess
Summary: Josh, Donna, and Bram. A little piece where jealousy abounds.
1. Default Chapter

He was funny, smart and _TALL_! That was always a big deal to Donna. She remembered a story CJ told her once about Simon Donovan: she had liked that he was tall. Donna's thoughts drifted briefly back to that night when she and CJ had shared some beers, and shared some tears, over the "might have beens" in their lives. She quickly pushed the stories out, squelched the emotions that were threatening to rise up in her chest, and focused on Bram.

He hadn't seen her yet. He was still across the lobby, shaking a few more hands, smiling that "we couldn't do it without you smile" that she recognized so well. Donna waited by the elevator but she hadn't pushed the button. She was waiting for him to get a little bit closer, waiting to ensure that they would be sharing the ride up to their respective floors. She took the extra minute to straighten her skirt, smooth her hair and, yes, take a sniff of her pit, which was, fortunately, not half bad (she had, after all, been up since 5:45 and it was now well after midnight).

It was at that very moment, as she lowered her arm and tried to scream casual that she was met with the grinning like an idiot face of Josh.

"Whatcha doing there Donna?" he asked, although it was obvious.

"Shut it Josh" she shot back, eager to send the message that she did not care to discuss it. She wasn't even embarrassed, just annoyed.

"No, really" he continued, his smirk giving way to full dimples for the second time in 10 seconds.

"Josh!" She stated emphatically in a low and serious tone as Bram approached the elevator bank.

"Hey Donna…Josh" He began with a sincere and quite handsome smile.

"You two planning on pushing this elevator button sometime tonight?" With that statement he leaned with his left arm between Josh and Donna and as he pressed the "UP" circle his face was just inches from Donna's and she took in his cologne as his lean seemed to linger for a few seconds more than completely necessary.

This action was not lost on either Donna, who now stood feeling more than a little flushed, _OR_ Josh, who also looked flushed for a very different reason. Josh could feel his eyebrows raised disproportionably high for his head and concentrated on closing his gaping mouth.

"Oh, you know how we get" Donna was saying, her voice a few octaves higher than usual and her rosy cheeks complementing her wide grin. "Just talk, talk, talking away and the next thing you know…"

"You're standing in a hotel lobby for the rest of the night!" Bram generously interrupted her little ramble with a not so funny joke but he and Donna laughed whole-heartedly and looked expectantly to Josh.

He mistook their glances for an invitation to join in the joke and began to force a chuckle that sounded more like whooping cough before Donna cut him off to spit "Josh, get in the elevator." She looked at him, her face full of embarrassment as if Josh were her father talking about his shotgun in front of her high school boyfriend.

Josh stepped on the elevator and with his back to Donna and Bram listened in agony as they continued their giddy conversation.

Donna continued in her excitable tone, "Yeah, I pretty much got the talking thing down pat, it is that whole elevator edict I need to improve on!"

Josh winced but he wasn't sure if it was because of her ridiculous attempt at conversation or the obvious fact that she was trying to be flirtatious. He really felt like he was going to puke.

Bram, however, always the perfect gentlemen and yet enjoying a good flirt when he got the chance countered with this: "Well, at least all that talking is good for increasing a girl's lung capacity! What will my elevator skills earn me in the real world?"

At this point Josh felt he must step in. He felt a cross between anger and annoyance at their obvious lack of professionalism despite his presence. He was, after all, their supervisor, shouldn't they consider that he is standing only inches away from them?

He decided to interject, "Bram, don't be ridiculous. Surely you are familiar with the Aerosmith classic 'Love in an Elevator'? There is a life skill to go along with Donna's 'increased lung capacity." He said the last part, "increased lung capacity" by making little quote marks in the air with his fingers, something he swore he would never do. His statement also had sarcasm and arrogance dripping from every syllable.

"JOSH!"

"Oh great", he thought, "now she's gonna yell at me, at least she would be acknowledging my presence!" His body stiffened as he prepared for her lashing.

"Isn't this your floor?" Donna's exclamation was more a statement then a question and he let out an audible huff before hesitantly taking a step towards the parting doors, she had obviously pushed his floor button for him, "Glad she was able to find that button" He thought to himself as he began making a slow move to get out.

He glanced at the control panel. She and Bram still had 8 more floors to ride up together. 8 floors! He considered saying that that he left something in the lobby and needed to go back down. He wanted to be sure they got off on different floors, but his thought process was just one second to slow for getting his arm up to stop the closing doors.

As the heavy metal sides began to close, he distinctly heard Bram comment: "Now what was that song he was saying?" And he was certain he heard Donna answer with a laugh as if Bram was the funniest man on earth!


	2. Peach Rings and First Impressions

That night Josh tossed and turned thinking of Donna's laugh as she rode up with Bram on the elevator. Josh liked Bram. He was a real hard worker, had a lot of common sense and kept up with the fast pace of the campaign trail like a pro. Josh didn't consider Bram a friend, more like an apprentice, but at this point he felt he was his mortal enemy.

Donna had joined the Santos McGarry campaign just two days after the democratic convention. She was technically working for Leo, but she was in staff with everyone in the morning and in the group debriefings at the end of each day. The large staff spent little time on names and more time on policy. Josh tried to remember when Donna and Bram had become "friendly".

He didn't have to think about it long. Since Donna had joined up she had been pleasant to Josh, even friendly. It was during one of her conversations with **_him_** that she had been formally introduced to Bram. Josh remembered leaning on a table in one of the makeshift offices in Ohio. Donna was eating peach rings and trying to convince Josh that the O shaped candy was good luck in Ohio and that he should definitely try one. That is when Josh countered with: "Donna, that is the most absurd thing I have ever heard and NO ONE wants to try one of your peach things!"

Cue the candy-eating hero: "I'll try one, if I may."

"What?" Josh turned his head to see Bram approaching with some polling data from an earlier event. He looked back to see Donna pull her legs off the table and straighten her shoulders, flipping her hair over the chair where she sat. She was also grinning triumphantly. "Of course you may have one, sir."

She extended the bag of peach rings and as Bram placed his hand on Josh's shoulder he leaned forward to take one from the bag. Popping it into his mouth he exclaimed a little too enthusiastically "Oh man! These are Delicious!"

Josh rolled his eyes and shrugged Bram's hand off his shoulder. Meanwhile Donna was saying "Yes! Exactly. Josh won't even try them."

Bram turned to Josh and said in a mock serious tone, "You really are missing out."

Josh tried to hide the disgust from his face as he introduced Donna and Bram.

He then got up, picked up the file Bram had placed on the table and stated, "Thanks Bram for getting this data, I think I'll go look it over in my room." Turing to Donna he asked "You ready to go?"

It was only then that he noticed her flushed cheeks as she closely scrutinized the contents of her peach rings package. Bram had assumed Josh's earlier position of leaning against the table in front of her and as Josh awaited her answer she looked up at him aloofly and responded "Hmm? Oh, no I think I'll stay down here a little bit longer, I want to get at least one more sprite before I hit the hay."

Her _a shucks_ attitude under normal circumstances would've made him laugh out loud but instead he stated emphatically, "What?…Donna you were just saying how tired you are!"

She practically glared at him as she put her legs back up on the table and sunk lower in her chair. "I am _somewhat _tired Joshua but I am thirsty as well."

Bram, who had been leaning silently through this whole conversation straightened up and said: "I was just heading over to the bar can I bring you back a sprite?"

Donna smiled for him again, "Yeah, thanks that would great."

"No problem" he countered, "so long as you leave me some peach rings!"

At this Donna grinned even wider and said "Thanks, but I don't know if I can promise you that, you better hurry!" She shook the bag indicating there might only be a few left.

Josh watched as Bram scurried off and remarked half under his breath "Oh, no thanks I don't want anything."

Donna heard and laughing him off stated, "Please, Josh, you said you were going to bed."

"You'd like that wouldn't you" he stated only to see a look of confusion cover her face.

"Hey, I'm just saying O for Ohio, it's good luck." She shrugged her shoulders and popped in another of the jelly candies. Josh just stared down at her before turning to go back to his room. He was only a few steps away when he heard Bram return with another over enthusiastic comment: "Donna, I was thinking. These are O shaped, just like Ohio!"

Josh heard Donna feign shock as she replied "Bram, I didn't even think of that!" Then the two of them shared a hearty giggle. Josh shook his head as he continued out of the hotel lobby and towards his room, worried about the Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb he'd just created.


End file.
